Scottish Cup back on centre stage as teams prepare for Fifth Round action

Thursday 7 February 2019

Sixteen teams remain in the hunt for glory in Scotland’s oldest club competition, as the William Hill Scottish Cup Fifth Round takes its place in the limelight this weekend.

After upsets aplenty in the Fourth Round, those remaining in the draw will be fully focused on keeping their dreams of lifting the famous trophy alive.

2016 champions Hibs will be hoping that their Fifth Round opponents prove to be a good omen in their search of a repeat triumph, having overcome Raith Rovers en route to their famous Hampden triumph. However, the Kirkcaldy outfit will also be hoping that history repeats itself on Saturday afternoon – Rovers emerged victorious when the two sides were last drawn to meet at the Fifth Round stage.

Those in search of goals could do well to direct their attention towards proceedings at the Simple Digital Arena this weekend, as St Mirren welcome Dundee United to Paisley. The hosts – having produced a memorable comeback to overcome Alloa in the Fourth Round – have scored in every Fifth Round match in which they have been involved since 2010, whilst the Terrors have not been kept off the scoresheet in their last nine fixtures at this stage.

There is potential for an old score to be settled at the Locality Hub Bayview Stadium on Saturday afternoon, with a degree of Scottish Cup history between the occupants of the two dugouts. Darren Young was part of the Dunfermline Athletic side edged out by Celtic in the 2007 Scottish Cup final, for whom Gary Caldwell came off the bench. The two men will meet once more in Methil this weekend, as Young looks to lead his East Fife side to victory over Caldwell’s Partick Thistle.

Two opposing forces meet at Rugby Park on Saturday evening, as Rangers travel to Kilmarnock (kick-off 5.15pm, live on Premier Sports). The hosts will be looking to preserve an impressive defensive record in the competition - which has seen them concede just one goal in normal time during their last five Scottish Cup matches - when they come up against a Rangers outfit with 23 goals over the same time-span.

Sunday’s action kicks-off with the only other all-Premiership tie to emerge from the Fifth Round draw, as Celtic welcome St Johnstone to Glasgow (kick-off 1.30pm, live on Premier Sports). Whilst Brendan Rodgers’s side will have the ‘treble treble’ firmly within their sights, Celtic Park is a ground that holds fond memories for Saints fans, having lifted the Scottish Cup there back in 2014.

Undoubtedly this season’s fairytale story, Auchinleck Talbot saw their Fourth Round heroics against Ayr United rewarded with a trip to Tynecastle to take on Hearts for a place in the Sixth Round. The junior side pushed the Edinburgh outfit all the way back in the Fourth Round of the 2012 competition before being edged out by a single goal, the men in maroon ultimately going on to lift the trophy at Hampden later that year.

A brace of sides that took the long route to the Fifth Round meet at Pittodrie on Sunday afternoon, with Aberdeen welcoming Queen of the South to the north-east after the pair posted comprehensive victories over Stenhousemuir and Dundee in their respective replays (kick-off 3.30pm, live on BBC Scotland). Two of Scotland’s in-form strikers will doubtless prove crucial to their respective teams - Sam Cosgrove’s 10 goals in 11 games for Aberdeen has provided a cutting edge to the Dons attack, whilst Stephen Dobbie’s hat-trick against Dundee took his tally to 37 goals for the season thus far.

Currently sitting top of the goalscoring charts is @OfficialQosFC's star-man Stephen Dobbie. Let's take a look at all his goals from this season's @WilliamHill Scottish Cup.

The Fifth Round concludes with arguably the tie of the round on Monday evening, as Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Ross County square off in a Highland derby at the Global Energy Stadium (kick-off 7.15pm, live on BBC Scotland). With each of their three meetings to date this season being hotly-contested affairs, expect neither side to give an inch under the Dingwall floodlights.

Sportsound ‘on the road’ is live from the Global Energy Stadium this Thursday 6:30-7:30pm ahead of the @scottishcup tie between @RossCounty & @ICTFC.

The draw for the Sixth Round of the William Hill Scottish Cup will be made by Scottish Cup winners Rab Douglas and Billy Dodds following the conclusion of Monday night’s encounter between Ross County and Inverness Caledonian Thistle, with supporters able to watch live on BBC Scotland.